Adjustable breading machine and method of operation

ABSTRACT

An adjustable breading machine for applying a coating material onto a food product, the machine includes a frame and a breading chamber enclosure through which the food product travels along the food path to receive a coating material. The adjustable breading machine may also include a hopper fixedly connected to the frame to deliver a coating material into the breading chamber enclosure. At least partially within the breading chamber enclosure is a main conveyor and an outfeed conveyor. In a first mode of operation, the outfeed conveyor lies in the food path and receives food product from the main conveyor. The adjustable breading machine includes a drum assembly operatively disposed above the outfeed conveyor having a rotatable drum for transporting food product and coating material to the outfeed conveyor. The adjustable breading machine also includes a drum adjustment assembly for moving the drum assembly between modes of operation.

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §11.9(e)(1) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/716,139, filedAug. 8, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to food processing equipment and methods,for the coating or breading of food products. More particularly, certainembodiments of the present invention relate to a coating machine andmethods for dispensing a coating material (e.g., flour, breadcrumbs,cracker meal) onto food products, such as in large-scale food processinglines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the industry of high volume production of food products, it isdesirable to coat certain food products (e.g., chicken) with, forexample, batter and a breading material before cooking the foodproducts. Breading material may include a relatively dry material suchas fine particle flour breading. Japanese-style breadcrumbs having alarge distribution of breadcrumb sizes, cracker meal of differingparticle sizes, or many other types of coating materials. Each type ofbreading or coating material has its own characteristics that cause thebreading material to react in differing ways when being distributedwithin a breading or coating machine and onto food products.

Automated breading machines for applying breading and various types ofcoatings, including flour, to food products for mass production havebeen manufactured since the late 1940's. The original machines were forcoating products such as fish sticks, fish portions, shrimp, and somepoultry products. With a major growth in coated or breaded foodsincluding onion rings, fish sticks, nuggets, shrimp, meat patties, and afull variety of chicken nuggets, tenders, wings, etc., breading machinedesign has changed to accommodate the wide variety of food products.Coated food products are used in mass quantities in retail grocerystores, food service (e.g., schools), and quick service restaurants.

Coating material originally was primarily dried breadcrumbs, beinggranular in nature, and what is considered to be a free flowing type ofmaterial. Over the years the coatings have turned more to spiced flour,which has required manufacturers of coating machines to redesign themachines to handle these flour-type coatings, which are not consideredto be free flowing. For example, if one picks up a hand full of flourand squeezes it, the flour compacts and balls up. On the other hand, agranular type of coating material does not compact when squeezed but,instead, will sift through your fingers, similar to granular salt orsugar.

Today, there is a new variety of spiced flour coating that is applied ina heavy texture called home-style. It is built up of wet batter andflour that is applied in multiple stages. Along with new coatings,process line capacity has grown from the two or three thousand poundsper hour to eight to ten thousand pounds per hour and more. Process linedurability and coating material control is more critical today thanever. Additionally, food safety standards require sanitary designs, andthe machines must be safe to operate.

Certain difficulties with respect to traditional breading machines alsoinclude applying the breading material evenly over the food products,preventing clogging or bridging of the breading material within thebreading machine, and eliminating clumping of the breading materialwithin the breading machine. For example, many breading machines use abreading system where breading is distributed onto a conveyor to form abottom coating layer, and to the tops of food products as they travelthrough the machine on the conveyor. This is effective for only certaintypes of breading, including flour, crumb, and meal-based breading. Forother types of breading, the breading will only be sufficiently appliedupon use of a further mechanism, like a drum. A drum is desirable insome instances where the breading does not stick in the first instance,and additional breading material must be applied to the food product inthe drum.

Some examples of known breading machines will be discussed with respectto FIGS. 1A-D and 2A-B. In particular, FIGS. 1A-D illustrates severalviews of a first embodiment of a known breading or coating machine 100as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0264397,the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Thebreading machine 100 includes an input side 110 and an output side 120.Food products to be coated with a coating material (e.g., flour,breadcrumbs, cracker meal) enter the breading machine 100 on the inputside 110 and exit on the output side 120. The food products aretypically fed into the input side 110 via a conveyor belt, for example,such as from prior equipment, such as a batter applicator. The foodproducts are coated in the machine 100 and are typically fed out of theoutput side 120 and into, for example, a baking oven or fryer (notshown). The volumes of food products processed in this way aresignificant, and may be on the order of 10,000 pounds per hour or more,requiring significant amounts of coating materials, and distributiononto all of the food products passing therethrough in a uniform anddesired manner. The breading characteristics desired for various foodproducts, including the type of breading, thickness and othercharacteristics, must be achieved by a single machine for efficiency,and the ability to effectively control such parameters provides the userwith a great amount of flexibility. The ability to control the functionof the machine in these ways also allows the user to fashion the mostcost effective coating process, while not sacrificing desired finalproduct characteristics, such as by effective control of breadingthickness. The machine 100 further provides low-pressure handling of thebreading materials within the machine to improve breadingcharacteristics on the coated products.

The breading machine includes several sections including a top hopper130, a top hopper feed chute 135, a vertical breading transport section140, a first horizontal breading transport section 150, and a secondhorizontal breading transport section 160. The breading machine 100 alsoincludes a coating transfer box 155, a side-feed hopper 170, a crumbfilter assembly 180, and a top coating spreader assembly 190. Thetransport sections 140, 150, and 160 include screws or augers totransport the coating material through various parts of the breadingmachine 100.

The machine 100 has a main endless food product/breading conveyor belt196 running through several sections 191-195 of the breading machine100. These sections 191-195 form a breading chamber enclosure. Theconveyor belt 196 carries food products and coating material through thebreading chamber enclosure via an upper forward path of the belt 196.Unused coating material is fed back and recirculated through thebreading machine via a lower return path of the belt 196. The foodproducts enter the breading machine 100 at the input side 110 withoutbeing coated, and exit via the output side 120 after having been coated,by the breading machine.

FIGS. 2A-B illustrate two views of a second embodiment of a knownbreading machine 200 as described in U.S. Patent Application PublicationNo. 2007/0264397, the entire contents of which are incorporated hereinby reference. The design of this second embodiment is very similar tothe design of FIGS. 1A-D. However, in this second embodiment, aside-mounted feed hopper 210 is mounted on the opposite side of thebreading machine 200 as compared to FIGS. 1A-D. This mounting providesflexibility in positioning the machine in a processing line adjacentother equipment. A vertical screw 215 can be seen within the verticalbreading transport section 220. The breading machine 200 includes afirst horizontal breading transport section 240, and a second horizontalbreading transport section 230. A horizontal cross-feed screw 245 can beseen within the horizontal breading transport section 240.

The breading machine 200 also includes a top hopper 250, a spreaderassembly 255, a filter assembly 260, and a main breading conveyor belt265. The breading machine 200 has an input end 270 and an output end 280for food products to enter and exit.

Similarly, if a user would like to coat different food products indifferent breading types, it is possible that one would need multiplebreading machines to accommodate the different breading types. Forexample, a flour-type mixture may more readily coat food product merelyby covering the top by sprinkling and the bottom as the product sits onthe coated conveyor. However, more granular coating materials, likebreadcrumbs, may require additional processes, like compression rollersor drums. Thereby, a user may be required to house and maintain severalbreading machines to effectively process different types of breading. Itwould therefore be desirable to provide a breading machine that canaccommodate different breading modes and processes.

Nowadays, it is known that rotary drums can facilitate the breading ofcertain food products. However, rotary drums present several issues inand of themselves. For instance, it is common that when the food productreaches the end of the drum, the food product sticks to the upper innersurface of the drum. This is problematic because the food productproceeds to fall from the top of the drum to the below conveyorpotentially damaging the food product or resulting in a food productwith non-uniform breading. Therefore, it would be desirable if there wasan adapter provided at the output end of the drum to safely transferfood product from the drum to the conveyor.

Another issue with rotary drums in breading machines is that the drumschannel the food products into single-file lines as the food productexits the drum. In many instances, it is desirable for the food productto be randomly, or evenly, spread across the conveyor after it exits thedrum. This is so because the next stage of the processing of the foodproduct may include, for example, deep-frying or batter application. Ifthe food products are not sufficiently spaced from one another, there isa risk that the food products could stick together in a deep fryer, forexample. It would be desirable to provide a drum, or an adapter to adrum, that can evenly spread food product across the conveyor.

Other problems with known breading machines relate to the footprint ofthe breading machine. Currently, the length of the breading machinevaries for each type of breading process. This results in changing theoverall length of the breading machine for each breading process, and insome case, increasing the footprint on the plant floor. It wouldtherefore be desirable to provide a breading machine that shortens theoverall length of the machine and has a constant footprint as thefunctions of the breading machine changes.

Another downfall of existing breading machines capable of operating withrotary drums is the inefficient transition to or from drum mode.Currently, breading machines require insertion of a drum cartridge orunit into or removal of a drum cartridge or unit from the heart of thebreading chamber. To insert or remove such a rotary drum unit, theentire food processing line must be shut down Naturally, the longer theline is shut down the less food products are generated resulting inproduction inefficiencies. It would be desirable to provide a breadingmachine that does not require the complete shut down of the productionline to change operating modes.

Additionally, if a machine requires a removable drum unit, when not inuse, the drum unit must be stored elsewhere. The rotary drum units maybe particularly sizable and heavy, thereby, requiring sufficient storagespace and additional machinery to remove or insert such a unit. Furtherstill, upon removal and prior to insertion, the rotary drum assemblymust be sanitized or cleaned. As such, it would be desirable to providea breading machine that always houses the rotary drum unit.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional, traditional, andproposed approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art,through comparison of such systems and methods with the presentinvention as set forth in the remainder of the present application withreference to the drawings.

SUMMARY

A first aspect of the present invention regards an adjustable breadingmachine for applying a coating material onto a food product, theadjustable breading machine includes a frame, an enclosure defining abreading chamber operatively connected to the frame, and a main conveyoroperatively received at least partially within the breading chamber. Themain conveyor including a first main conveyor end and a second mainconveyor end, wherein the main conveyor is adapted to move with respectto the breading chamber. The adjustable breading machine furtherincluding a hopper fixedly connected to the frame to deliver a coatingmaterial into the breading chamber and an outfeed conveyor operativelyreceived at least partially within the breading chamber. The outfeedconveyor including a first outfeed conveyor end and a second outfeedconveyor end, wherein the outfeed conveyor is adapted to move withrespect to the breading chamber. A drum assembly is operatively disposedabove the outfeed conveyor, the drum assembly including a rotatable drumfor transporting food product and coating material to the outfeedconveyor, wherein the rotatable drum is rotatable about a drumlongitudinal axis. The adjustable breading machine further including adrum adjustment assembly operatively connected to the frame for movingthe drum assembly into and out of a food path.

A second aspect of the present invention regards a method for operatingan adjustable breading machine that includes providing an adjustablebreading machine having a frame, a main conveyor, a breading hopperattached to the frame, an outfeed conveyor, a drum assembly operativelydisposed above the outfeed conveyor, and a drum adjustment assembly formoving the drum assembly into and out of a food path. The method alsoincludes metering a coating material onto the main conveyor using thebreading hopper, placing a food product onto the main conveyor belt, andadjusting the adjustable breading machine using the drum adjustmentassembly from a first mode, wherein the drum assembly is substantiallydisposed in the food path, to a second mode, wherein the outfeedconveyor is substantially disposed in the food path, or vice versa.

These and other advantages and novel features of the present invention,as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be morefully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. A-D are perspective front side, top, and side views, respectively,of a first embodiment of a known breading machine.

FIGS. 2A-B are side and top views, respectively, of a second embodimentof a known breading machine.

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of abreading machine in flat mode, in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the breading machine of FIG. 3in drum mode.

FIG. 5 is a right perspective view of an embodiment of a drum assemblyto be used with the breading machine of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a left perspective view of an embodiment of a drum assemblyand motor assembly to be used with the breading machine of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a drumassembly to be used with the breading machine of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a right perspective view of an embodiment of an infeed chuteto be used swig the drum assembly of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the drum assembly of FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of the drum assembly of FIG. 6.

FIG. 11 is a top cross-sectional view of the breading machine of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 12A-B are perspective views of an embodiment of a drum adjustmentassembly to be used in the breading machine of FIG. 3 when in the flatmode and the drum mode, respectively.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a drum adjustmentsupport of the drum adjustment assembly of FIGS. 12A-B when in flatmode.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 3-13 show a breading machine 3000 that is adjustable. In someaspects, the adjustable breading machine 3000 operates in the samegeneral manner as the breading machine 100 of FIGS. 1A-D in that foodproduct enters the breading machine at an input side 3110 and exits themachine 3000 at an exit side 3120. The adjustable breading machine 3000includes a main conveyor 3130 that carries food products and coatingmaterial through a breading chamber enclosure 3010. Food product isplaced on the top surface of the inclined main conveyor 3130 by anupstream conveying equipment, such as a batter applicator, in a mannersimilar to described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2007/0264397, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference. Also, the coating material is placed on the top surface ofthe inclined main conveyor 3130 and the food product by an auger 3040that received the coating material from a hopper 3030 in a mannersimilar to that described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2007/0264397, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference. The main conveyor 3130 is fixedly attached to the frame 3020of the breading machine 3000 as shown in FIG. 3 and driven by a motor(not shown). The motor may be attached to a belt or gears that drive aseries of gears or sprockets. The main conveyor 3130 may be supported bya pan with a belt for carrying the food product and coating materials.Other configurations for transporting products that are commonly used inindustrial food processing may be used as well and are contemplated inthis disclosure, for example, a series of rollers, drive shafts, orin-line belt tension systems.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main conveyor 3130 carries the food productupwardly in a forward path. The upwardly forward path begins at a firstmain conveyor end 3132 and continues upward to the second main conveyorend 3134 carrying the food product and the coating material. Theinclined main conveyor 3134 is particularly desirable because it notonly shortens the overall length of the breading machine 3000, thereby,decreasing the breading machine's footprint on the factory floor, but italso carries the food product to a height whereat the food product canpass through a drum assembly 3200 (see FIG. 4) using gravity instead ofrequiring a conveyor or the like, as will described in further detailbelow. It is contemplated, however, that the main conveyor 3130 operatesin a substantially horizontal configuration or at another desirablepitch or angle.

In one mode of operating the adjustable breading machine 3000, calledflat mode, as shown in FIG. 3, when the food product and coatingmaterial are at or near the second main conveyor end 3134, an outfeedconveyor 3140 is substantially disposed in the food path such that thefood product and coating material from the second main conveyor end 3134transfer to the first outfeed conveyor end 3142 of the outfeed conveyor3140. Flat mode may also be known as, inter alia, flatbread mode orin-line breading mode. Alternatively, and as shown in FIG. 4, theadjustable breading machine 3000 may be in another mode, called drummode or home-style mode, wherein the drum assembly 3200 is substantiallydisposed in the food path such that the food product and coatingmaterial from the second main conveyor end 3134 transfers to the threedrums 3210 a-c of the drum assembly 3200.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the adjustable breading machine is in flatmode, the outfeed conveyor 3140 is oriented in a downward fashion withrespect to the frame 3020 and the second main conveyor end 3134 suchthat the food product is carried via a downward forward path. Thedownward forward path begins at the first outfeed conveyor end 3142 andcontinues downward to the second outfeed conveyor end 3134 as shown inFIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the outfeed conveyor 3140 is fixedlyattached to the frame 3020 of the breading machine 3000 and driven by amotor (not shown). In some embodiments, the motor used to drive theoutfeed conveyor 3140 may also be used to drive the main conveyor 3130.The outfeed conveyor 3140 may be supported by a pan with a belt forcarrying the food product and coating materials. Other suitableconfigurations for transporting products that are commonly used inindustrial food processing may be used as well and are contemplated inthis disclosure, for example, a series of rollers, drive shafts, andin-line belt tension systems.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a recirculation conveyor 3150 operativelyattached to the frame 3020 passes underneath the outfeed conveyor 3140such that the recirculation conveyor 3150 collects the unused coatingmaterial that passes through openings formed in the outfeed conveyor3140. It is contemplated that the outfeed conveyor 3140, in someembodiments, has a mesh or grated belt such that unused or excesscoating materials may pass through to the recirculation conveyor 3150.FIGS. 3 and 4 depict the recirculation conveyor 3150 as a part of themain conveyor 3130 in that the recirculation conveyor 3150 is the lowerreturn path of the main conveyor 3130. The unused coating material istransported by recirculation conveyor 3150 to a second auger 3050, whichcirculates the unused coating with the new coating material and to avertical auger 3060 which loads hopper 3030 in a manner similar to thatdescribed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0264397, the entirecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 3 also shows the adjustable breading machine 3000 includes the drumassembly 3200 located above the outfeed conveyor 3140 when in flat mode.The drum assembly 3200 attaches to the outfeed conveyor 3140 via a drumassembly frame 3220. As shown in FIG. 5, the drum assembly frame 3220attaches to the outfeed conveyor 3140 via brackets 3222. The brackets3222 may secure to the outer edges of the outfeed conveyor 3140 suchthat the drum assembly frame 3220 does not interfere with the foodproduct and coating materials. It is contemplated that the drum assembly3200 may attach to the outfeed conveyor 3140 and be supported by variousother attachment mechanisms, for example, a truss. The drum assemblyframe 3220 maintains an adequate distance between the top surface of theoutfeed conveyor 3140 and the bottom of the drum assembly frame 3220such that food products and coating material on the outfeed conveyor3140 may pass underneath the drum assembly frame 3220 in flat mode, asshown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 5, the drum assembly 3200 includes three drums 3210a-c. Each of the drums 3210 a-c has a drum front end 3212 and a drumback end 3214. Each drum 3210 is a substantially cylindrical tube;however, other geometries may be used. For example, each drum may befrustoconical. Each drum can be formed from sheet metal, like stainlesssteel. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, each drum 3210 a-c is formedfrom corrugated sheet metal. The drums 3210 a-c may be formed from othersuitable metals or plastics for use with food products.

It is contemplated that the inner surface of each drum 3210 a-c may betextured to include ridges or indentations in the surface. Patterns onthe inner surface of the drums 3210 a-c facilitate efficient coating ofthe food product because the inner surface pattern may correlate to theamount of time it takes for the food product to pass through the drums3210 a-c. For example, if the corrugations in the corrugated sheet metalforming the drums 3210 a-c are large, the food product may be tossed inthe drum for a longer duration.

Additionally, texturing of the surface may be desirable to change theorientation or direction of the food product as it passes from the mainconveyor 3130 to the outfeed conveyor 3140 while operating in drum modeshown in FIG. 4. Alternatively, the ridges or indentations may spiralaround the inner surfaces of the drums 3210 a-c, for example, like ahelix or a barrel on a rifle, to move or orient the food product andcoating material in a predetermined direction. In some embodiments, itis contemplated that paddles or fins may be disposed on the innersurfaces of the drums 3210 a-c. The ridges, corrugations, indentations,fins, or the like contemplated in this disclosure, may span the lengthsof the drums 3210 a-cor only through a portion of their lengths. Inother embodiments, the ridges or indentations may extend straight alongthe longitudinal axes of the drums 3210 a-c. In embodiments where asuitable metal is used to construct the drums 3210 a-c, the innersurface may be polished or machined with a desirable finish to allow thefood product to smoothly exit the drum 3210.

In some embodiments, the drums 3210 a-c are rotatable aboutcorresponding drum longitudinal axes extending the lengths of the drums3210 a-c from the drum front end 3212 to the drum second end 3214. Therotatable drums 3210 a-c are driven by a drum motor 3230 that engagesthe drums 3210 a-c. The drum motor 3230 may drive the drums 3210 a-c ina clockwise or counterclockwise direction depending on a userspreference.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the drum motor 3230 engages the drums 3210a-c via a series of tracks 3216 attached to the drum front ends 3212 andsprockets 3218. The sprockets 3218 are operatively attached by a shaft3217 to wheels 3232, as shown in FIG. 6, and connected to the drumassembly frame 3220. The drum motor 3230 engages the drive wheel 3231which in turn drives the sprockets 3218. Sprockets 3218 engage tracks3216 such that drums 3210 are rotated. In some embodiments, the tracks3216 are offset such that each track 3216 engages two sprockets 3218.Other suitable mechanisms for driving the rotary drums 3210 arecontemplated, for example, belts and gears and friction wheels.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the wheels 3232 contact and support the drumback end 3214. According to FIG. 6, there are four wheels 3232 (two notshown) in the drum assembly 3200 with each drum 3210 contacting andsupported by and between two wheels 3232. The two middle wheels of thefour wheels 3232 contact two drums while the two outer most wheelscontact each contact a single drum.

The number of drums 3210 in the drum assembly 3200 may vary, and, assuch, the combination of drums 3210 a-c, wheels 3232, and sprockets 3218may vary in other embodiments. It is desirable, however, that the drums3210 a-c, or series of drums 3210 a-c, substantially span the width ofthe main conveyor 3130. This is to ensure all food product and coatingmaterial is transferred from the second main conveyor end 3134 intoeither one of the drum front ends 3212 of the drums 3210 a-c. As such,the drum motor 3230 may drive multiple rotatable drums 3210 a-c alongthe individual drum's longitudinal axis. In some embodiments, the motormay drive the drums 3210 a-c in the same or different directiondepending on how the motor engages the series of motors. That is,various gear ratios or belt combinations may produce differentdirectional rotations.

In another embodiment, the drum assembly 3200 may be pivoted in a planeperpendicular to the x-y plane defined in FIG. 1A so that the drumassembly 3200 pivots toward or away from the x-y plane of FIG. 1A. Thedrum assembly may be pivoted between 3 and 13 degrees measured from thedrum longitudinal axis and the x-y plane defined by the angle Θ, asshown in FIG. 7. It is contemplated that other ranges of angles suitablefor coating food product can be used, like between 0 and 15 degrees.

A pivoting assembly 3240 may include an actuator 3241 and a linkage 3242attached to the outfeed conveyor 3140 and the drum assembly frame 3220,as shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the actuator 3241 is attached to thelinkage 3242. The linkage 3242 has a sliding link 3244 and a slottedlink 3246 wherein the sliding link 3244 is attached to the actuator 3241and a transmitting shaft 3245 (not shown). The slotted link 3246 isattached to the drum frame 3220 to support the movement of the drumassembly 3200.

The transmitting shaft 3245 transmits the movement of link 3244 to adrum frame support 3224, shown in FIG. 6. Consequently, when the slidinglink 3244 is actuated, the drum e support 3224 pivots the back end ofthe drum assembly frame 3220 about a pivot point 3248 of the pivotingassembly 3240 located near the front end of the drum assembly frame3220. In other embodiments, the linkage 3242 can be manually adjustedusing a crank. In some embodiments, the linkage 3242 may be a bell cranklinkage. The pivot point 3248 may be a pin, screw, bolt, or any othersuitable object to support pivoting.

Other suitable pivoting assemblies contemplated for pivoting or tiltingthe pivoting assembly 3240 may include a pneumatic system, a hydraulicsystem, a piston, mechanically cranking system, or other suitablemechanisms for use with food products. The drum assembly 3200 may alsobe manually pivoted to the desired angle. In other embodiments, the drumassembly 3200 may be pivoted about a pivot point 3248 located at anothersuitable location on the drum assembly frame 3220, for example, the drumback end 3214.

The drum assembly 3200 includes adapters like an infeed chute 3250and/or an outfeed chute 3260, as shown in FIG. 11. When the adjustablebreading machine 3000 is operating in drum mode, the infeed chute 3250is designed to efficiently transfer the food product and coatingmaterial from the main conveyor 3130 into each of the drum front ends3212. The infeed chute 3250 is attached to the drum assembly frame 3220and is substantially disposed in the food path between the second mainconveyor end 3134 and the drum front ends 3212. In some embodiments thatinclude multiple drums 3210, there will be corresponding infeed chutes3250 for each drum 3210. As shown in FIG. 9, the infeed chutes 3250 mayalso be formed as individual chutes welded together at or near sidewalk3254, 3256 so as to form a single infeed chute. It is contemplated thatmultiple infeed chutes 3250 may be formed separately or from a singlestructure having several infeed chutes 3250. In other embodiments, theinfeed chutes 3250 may be formed into a single piece by welding multiplepieces.

As shown in FIG. 5, the infeed chute 3250 has a straight-edged frontside 3252 that substantially abuts the second main conveyor end 3134 andspans the width of the main conveyor 3130. If there are multiple infeedchutes 3250, as shown in FIG. 11, the infeed chute front sides 3252,when aligned next to another, will span the width of the main conveyor3130. The infeed chute 3250 also includes infeed sidewalls 3254, 3256that together with the front side 3252 form an infeed chute channel 3258that funnels the food product and coating material into the drum frontends 3212. The sidewalls 3254 and 3256 can be fabricated into anysuitable shape for funneling materials, for example, the sidewalls maybe bent, curved, or rolled. In some embodiments, the infeed chutechannel 3258 is wider near the second main conveyor end 3134 than nearthe drum front ends 3212.

As shown in FIG. 6, the infeed chute 3250 is rotatable such that whenadjusting the adjustable breading machine 3000 between fiat mode anddrum mode, or vice versa, the infeed chute 3250 rotates in a verticalplane to move from one mode to another mode without contacting theinfeed chute 3250 with another component of the adjustable breadingmachine 3000. As shown in FIG. 4, the infeed chute 3250 may rotate abouta pin operatively attached to the drum assembly frame 3220. It iscontemplated that the infeed chute 3250 can be rotated manually using aT-handle or using another suitable mechanism, manually or automatically.

As shown in FIG. 8, rollers 3270 may be disposed between infeed chutes3250. The rollers 3270 may be formed from a pin and ball bearingassembly so as to naturally rotate when contacted by food product orcoating material. In other embodiments, the rollers 3270 bemechanically- or electronically-driven. Likewise, in some embodiments,the rollers 3270 may form other suitable geometries for biasing unusedcoating material, for example, a sphere or a cone. The rollers 3270serve as a biasing mechanism forcing unused coating material or foodproduct into the infeed chutes 3250 on either side of the roller 3270.The rollers 3270 prevent unused coating material and food product fromclogging the infeed chutes 3250 and drums 3210.

The outfeed chute 3260 is designed to efficiently transfer the foodproduct and coating material from the drum back end 3214 to the outfeedconveyor 3140. As shown in FIG. 10, the outfeed chute 3260 for each drum3210 a-c is fixedly attached to the drum 3210 and is substantiallydisposed in the food path between the drum back end 3214 and the outfeedconveyor 3140. The outfeed chute 3260 may be bolted to the drum 3210.The advantage of being bolted onto the drum 3210 is that the outfeedchute 3260 is easily interchangeable with other suitable adapters.

There are corresponding outfeed chutes 3260 for each drum 3210 a-c, asshown in FIG. 10. It is contemplated that multiple outfeed chutes 3260may be formed separately or from a single structure having severaloutfeed chutes 3260.

As shown in FIG. 10, the outfeed chute 3260 is a cylindrical attachmentdesigned to sift unused coating material. The outfeed chute 3260 mayinclude slots through which coating material may pass. It iscontemplated, however, that other suitable patterns for filtering excesscoating material may be used, including variations in size, shape, andquantity. Alternatively, the outfeed chute 3260 may have a smooth innersurface with no openings to facilitate the transfer of food product tothe outfeed conveyor 3140. When a food product contacts a smooth surfaceupon exiting the drum hack end 3214, the food product is biased towardsliding to the base of the outfeed chute 3260 such that the food productslides onto the outfeed conveyor 3140 instead of potentially falling outof the drum 3210 onto the conveyor 3140. Due to the interchangeabilityof the outfeed chutes 3260 using bolts or a like fastener, it iscontemplated that the length of the outfeed chutes 3260 can be extendedor shortened depending on the preferences of the user.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 11, the outfeed chute 3260 may include anextension chute 3280 having a back edge 3282 that substantially abutsthe drum back end 3214 and spans the width of the drum 3210 as shown inFIG. 11. As shown in FIG. 11, the outfeed chute back sides 3282, whenaligned next to another, will span the width of the drums 3210. Theextension chute 3280 also includes outfeed sidewalls 3284, 3286 thattogether with a bottom surface 3281 form an extension chute channel 3288that funnels the food product and coating material onto the outfeedconveyor 3140. The sidewalls 3284 and 3286 can be fabricated into anysuitable shape for funneling materials, for example, the sidewalls maybe bent, angled, curved, or rolled. In some embodiments, the extensionchute channel 3288 is wider near the drum back end 3214 than near theoutfeed conveyor 3140.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the adjustable breading machine 3000 isoperating in drum mode, the food product and coating material willtransfer from the second main conveyor end 3134 to the drum front end3212. For shifting the adjustable breading machine 3000 between flatmode and drum mode, the adjustable breading machine 3000 includes a drumadjustment assembly 3300. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12A, the drumadjustment assembly 3300 includes a top hook 3310 attached to thebreading machine frame and adjacent to a top slot 3312 in the frame anda bottom hook 3320 attached to the frame and adjacent to a bottom slot3322 in the frame. The drum adjustment assembly 3300 also includes anactuable bar 3330 connecting top hook 3310 and bottom hook 3320.

As shown in FIG. 12A, the top slot 3312 is located in the breadingmachine frame near the second main conveyor end 3134 such that when anadjustment pin 3146 attached to the first outfeed conveyor end 3142engages the top slot 3312, the adjustment pin 3146 will rest in top slot3312. The actuable bar 3330 is then actuated to secure the adjustmentpin 3146 into slot 3312 using top hook 3310. At that point, the breadingmachine 3000 is in flat mode.

To change the operation mode from flat mode to drum mode, the actuablebar 3330 must be actuated such that the top hook 3310 disengages theadjustment pin 3146. Once disengaged, the adjustment pin 3146, alongwith outfeed conveyor 3140, may be rotated about an outfeed pivot pin3148 located at the second outfeed conveyor end 3144. As shown in FIG.12B, the outfeed conveyor 3140 may be adjusted downward until theadjustment pin 3146 engages the bottom slot 3322. After adjustment pin3146 engages the bottom slot 3322, the actuable bar 3330 is actuatedsuch that bottom hook 3320 secures the adjustment pin 3146 in drum mode,

In other embodiments, the drum adjustment assembly 3300 may beautomatically or manually adjusted. An automatic adjustment mechanismsuitable for use in with food products may include, for example, apneumatic system or a piston-driven system. As shown in FIG. 13, thedrum adjustment assembly 3300 may further include an adjustmentassistance mechanism 3340, like a compression spring or another suitabletension support member, to bear some of the weight of the outfeedconveyor 3140 as it is adjusted from one mode to another mode. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 13, the adjustment assistance mechanism 3340 isattached to the outfeed conveyor 3140 at its top end and the frame ofthe breading machine at its bottom end.

The operation and functionality of components capable of being used withthe breading machine 3000 are described in U.S. Patent Publication No.2007/0264397 by Mather et al, titled BREADING MACHINE AND METHODS OFOPERATION and incorporated herein by reference. The components, andembodiments thereof, described in U.S. Patent Publication No.2007/0264397, include without limitation a side-mounted teed hopper, atop-mounted feed hopper, an auger assembly, a spreading or sprinklingassembly, a filter assembly, a vibrator, compression rollers, in-linebelt tensioning assembly, hinged auger guards, and a double verticaltransfer auger system. The use of the components described in U.S.Patent Publication No. 2007/0264397 have been contemplated herein withthe present invention.

The present disclosure contemplates a method for operating adjustablebreading machines such as those previously described. The food productmay be fed into the input side 110 of the adjustable breading machine3000. In some embodiments, the food product can be fed directly into thebreading machine 3000. However, it is contemplated that the food productcan be into the input side 110 after exiting another machine, forexample, after being battered. To assure the main conveyor 3130 iscovered with coating material, a feed hopper 3030, similar to the hopperdescribed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0264397, the entirecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference, meters coatingmaterial, like breadcrumbs, onto the main conveyor. The coating materialis spread onto the main conveyor from a screw auger and/or a top-mountedhopper. As a result, the food product is covered in coating material.

Once the food product has entered the breading machine 3000, the foodproduct will continue in an upward trajectory on the main conveyor 3130until it reaches the second end of the main conveyor 3134. At thatjuncture, if the adjustable breading machine 3000 is operating in afirst mode, called flat mode, the food product will transfer to theoutfeed conveyor 3140. While being carried on the outfeed conveyor 3140,unused coating material can be filtered through the upper path of theoutfeed conveyor 3140. To facilitate the filtering of unused coatingmaterial, in some embodiments a vibrator, as described in U.S. PatentPublication No. 2007/0264397 and incorporated by reference herein, maybe included along the outfeed conveyor 3140. Not only can the vibratorbreak up or loosen excess coating material, the vibrator, together withthe outfeed conveyor 3140 may also remove parts of food products thathave broken off the main food products and have fallen through the mainconveyor belt and onto the vibrating outfeed conveyor assembly.

In some embodiments, after the unused coating materials passes throughthe outfeed conveyor 3140, it can be reintroduced into the main conveyor3130 via a recirculation conveyor 3150 located beneath the outfeedconveyor 3140. As described in U.S. Patent Publ. 2007/0264397 andincorporated by reference herein, the recirculation conveyor 3150 maycarry the unused materials to a hopper and auger assembly near the inputside 110 of the breading machine 3000. The method continues as new foodproducts are introduced into the breading machine for coating.

If a user no longer wishes to operate the breading machine 3000 in flatmode, the user may adjust the breading machine to operate in a secondmode, called drum mode. To switch to drum mode, the user may adjust thebreading machine 3000 using a drum adjustment assembly 3300, asdescribed herein, to lower the outfeed conveyor 3140 such that the drumassembly 3200 is substantially in the food path. The drum adjustmentassembly 3300 may include an actuable bar 3330, capable of beingactuated manually or automatically, attached to hooks 3310, 3320 at theends of the actuable bar 3330. The actuable bar 3330 can be actuated tounlock the outfeed conveyor 3140 from flat mode, wherein the outfeedconveyor pin 3146 disengages a top slot 3312. Once the outfeed conveyorpin 3146 engages a bottom slot 3322, the actuable bar 3330 is actuated asecond time to secure the outfeed conveyor pin 3146 with the bottom hook3320. The adjustable breading machine 3000 is now in drum mode. A usermay repeatedly adjust the breading machine 3000 from flat mode to drummode, and vice versa, by actuating the drum adjustment assembly 3300 inthe same manner just described. When adjusting from drum mode to flatmode, however, the drum assembly 3200 will move out of the food path andthe outfeed conveyor 3140 will move substantially into the food path.

In drum mode, the main conveyor operates in the same manner as describedabove. When the food product reaches the second main conveyor end 3134,the food product and unused coating material will be transferred intothe rotatable drums 3210 as described herein. The rotatable drums cancarry and rotate the food product through the length of the drumsproviding additional coating, if necessary. The food product is thendispensed onto the outfeed conveyor 3140, and the food product continuesto the end of the outfeed conveyor 3140 as described above. Similarly,the unused coated material that exits the drums 3210 can be filteredthrough the top of the outfeed conveyor 3140. In some embodiments,outfeed chutes 3260 can be attached to the drum assembly to help spreadthe food product evenly across the outfeed conveyor 3140. This can bedone by actuating or positioning the outfeed chutes 3260 in a certainmanner. In some embodiments, varying the length of the outfeed chute3260 or the finish on the inner surface of the outfeed chute 3260 mayspread the food product.

In summary, an improved breading machine is disclosed for coating foodproducts with a coating material (e.g., flour, breadcrumbs, crackermeal). The improved breading machine includes an improved conveyorassembly, an improved drum assembly, and a drum adjustment assembly. Allof the enhancements expand the functionality of the breading machine andimprove the coating of food product within the breading machine.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to theparticular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include allembodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

1-12. (canceled)
 13. A method of applying a coating material to a foodproduct within a breading machine, the method comprising: providing anadjustable breading machine comprising a frame, a main conveyoroperatively connected to the frame, a breading hopper attached to theframe, an outfeed conveyor operatively connected to the frame, a drumassembly operatively disposed above the outfeed conveyor, wherein thedrum assembly comprising a rotatable drum, and a drum adjustmentassembly operatively connected to the frame for moving the drum assemblyinto and out of a food path; metering a coating material onto the mainconveyor using the breading hopper; placing a food product onto the mainconveyor belt; and adjusting the adjustable breading machine using thedrum adjustment assembly from a first mode, wherein the drum assembly issubstantially disposed in the food path, to a second mode, wherein theoutfeed conveyor is substantially disposed in the food path, or viceversa.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: vibrating thefood product to remove excess coating material.
 15. The method of claim14, further comprising: recirculating the excess coating material to themain conveyor.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting theadjustable breading machine is performed manually using an actuable barconnecting a top hook and a bottom hook wherein the actuable bar can beactuated to release the outfeed conveyor from the first mode, wherein apin attached to outfeed conveyor engages a bottom slot, to the secondmode, wherein the pin attached to the outfeed conveyor engages a topslot.
 17. The method of claim 13, further comprising: pivoting the drumassembly in the first mode such that the drum assembly is orientedwithin the range of 3-13 degrees measured from a drum longitudinal axisto a horizontal position oriented along an x-axis direction.
 18. Themethod of claim 13, further comprising: adjusting the outfeed chute. 19.The method of claim 1, further comprising: rotating the drum around adrum longitudinal axis while in the first mode.